Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 20: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the position regarding the CLÁR programme; the expenditure he anticipates in this regard for the remainder of 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11402/05]

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 32: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he intends to extend the CLÁR area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11281/05]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 and 32 together.

I introduced the CLÁR programme in October 2001 to address depopulation, as well as the decline and lack of services in rural areas. Areas in 18 counties, with a population of 362,000, have been selected under the programme, including areas I announced in January 2003 in light of the 2002 population census data. This honoured the commitment to review in An Agreed Programme for Government. Areas included are those that suffered the greatest population decline from 1926 to 2002 with an average population loss of 50%. The exception is the Cooley Peninsula, which was included on the basis of the serious difficulties caused there by foot and mouth disease.

There are no plans for any further review of the boundary of CLÁR areas. I can also confirm that no other significant areas fulfil the population criteria for inclusion in CLÁR.

CLÁR funds or co-funds, together with other Departments, State agencies and local authorities, investment in selected priority developments. These investments are made through a series of more than 20 measures, which support physical, economic and social infrastructure such as electricity conversion, roads, water and sewerage, village, housing and schools enhancement, health, broadband and sports and community projects. The measures reflect the priorities identified by the communities in the selected areas I consulted at the start of the programme.

The measures were agreed with and are, for the most part, operated in tandem with the lead Departments, State agencies or public utilities, as appropriate. This ensures efficiency and effectiveness and meets the needs of the people in the CLÁR areas. I intend to continue this practice for new measures I may introduce, depending on identified needs. Equally, I will keep the operation of existing measures under review.

The merits of this practice are reflected in the successful delivery of the programme and vividly demonstrate that relatively small amounts of public funding, specifically targeted, can have a profound and positive impact in disadvantaged rural areas. Expenditure under the programme amounted to €14.14 million in 2002, €8.613 million in 2003 and €12.116 million in 2004 which, it is estimated, levered out a further €36.5 million in related public and private expenditure in those three years.

The Estimates provision for 2005 is €13.7 million. Expenditure in the first quarter was just €1 million and I am confident that, once again, a comprehensive work programme will be completed this year and that the balance of the allocation will be expended.